THE STATUS OF ROKKASHO REPROCESSING PLANT

Basic design of the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant began in February, 1987. An application to the Authorities for designation of reprocessing business was filed in March, 1989. Detail design has started. After an approval for construction is granted, construction of the reprocessing plant will begin in 1991; the first reception of spent fuel is due to be in 199U; and the start of commercial reprocessing operation is scheduled in 1997. In the construction and operation of this reprocessing plant, we assign top priority to safety and the next to reliability and economy as our first basic policy.Spent fuel will be reprocessed by the chop-andleach and Purex processes. Continuous dissolvers will be installed for dissolution and centrifuges for fines clarification. Pulsed columns will be used in the first separation cycle and in the plutonium purification cycles, and mixer-settlers for uranium purification cycles and the solvent regeneration process. The purified uranium solution will be converted into uranium trioxide powder by the fluidized-bed denitration method. The purified plutonium and a part of purified uranium solutions will be mixed and denitrated in the microwave-heating process. The denitrated mixture will be converted into Pu02-U02 powder by a calcination and reduction processes.